North Korea has unveiled its stamp issuance plan for next year in four languages.
On Monday, the Korea Stamp Corporation, North Korea’s equivalent of the U.S. Postal Service, released its 2026 Stamp Issuance Plan for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in four languages: Korean (North Korean dialect), English, Russian, and Chinese.
The plan, published on their website, outlines the themes, face values, and release dates for stamps to be issued each month, along with an order form. However, the Korea Stamp Corporation has noted that the plan is subject to change.
North Korea’s 2026 stamp lineup includes a New Year stamp (10 KRW (about 0.0068 USD)) on January 1, a stamp commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League (140 KRW (about 0.095 USD)) on January 17, a stamp celebrating Kim Jong Il’s 84th birthday (100 KRW (about 0.068 USD)) on February 16, a flower stamp (200 KRW (about 0.14 USD)) on February 25, and a stamp marking the 80th anniversary of North Korea’s first stamp issuance (850 KRW (about 0.58 USD)) on March 12.
Experts believe that announcing the issuance plan is likely intended to gauge potential sales by soliciting pre-orders from international stamp collectors.
The Chinese embassy in North Korea recently announced the resumption of regular postal exchanges between North Korea and China, which had been suspended for several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to this, on September 25, China Post announced the reopening of the land postal route connecting Dandong and Sinuiju after a five-year hiatus, allowing for the handling of express mail, parcels, small and medium-sized express shipments, and cross-border e-commerce items.
Starting this year, North Korea has begun including Russian alongside Korean, English, and Chinese in its stamp issuance guide. This addition is seen as an effort to emphasize the friendship between North Korea and Russia and to attract Russian collectors as a key market segment.
